NHL daily best bets: Fire the cannon
It was a tough night on the ice Wednesday. First, the New York Rangers pulled the rug out from beneath us by starting their backup goaltender. Then the Winnipeg Jets were beaten by three despite attempting nearly 30 more shots (67-39) than the Anaheim Ducks. Fun stuff!
Fortunately, this is hockey. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and we have plenty of time to get where we want to be.
There's a fun nine-game slate to attack tonight. Let's get to our best bets.
Bet: Blue Jackets (-147)Some of the value on the Columbus Blue Jackets was squeezed out overnight; however, plenty still remains. While they might not be a good team this year, they should be much better than the Arizona Coyotes.
Columbus' top-nine forwards look pretty good on paper. Each center - Alex Texier, Jack Roslovic, and Cole Sillinger - is inexperienced but talented, and there are plenty of weapons on the wing. With Patrik Laine, Jakub Voracek, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Gustav Nyquist, and a healthy Max Domi, generating offense shouldn't be a problem. The Jackets' advantage in talent and depth - especially up front - should tilt the ice significantly in their favor versus Arizona.
The Coyotes possess some star power, but not nearly enough to make up for an appalling lack of depth. They're set to trot out Ryan Dzingel, Johan Larsson, and Loui Eriksson on the second line. The second! I'm not sure that's a fourth line on a competitive team.
Arizona should be completely outclassed in this one. The Blue Jackets will almost certainly have their way on the shot clock, and with Carter Hutton (sub-.900 save percentage in consecutive years) in net for the Coyotes, I'm betting Columbus will make it count.
Bet: Rangers/Stars under 6 goals (-121)The Rangers pulled a fast one on us last night, resting emerging star Igor Shesterkin in the team's season opener. That decision proved costly as Alexandar Georgiev struggled mightily in Washington, conceding five goals on 27 shots and just 1.92 expected goals.
Gerard Gallant said he doesn't plan to announce his starters this season, but it's pretty apparent that Shesterkin will get the nod tonight. He's been one of the best goalies in the league since he entered the NHL and owns a .929 save percentage at five-on-five, which ties him with 2020-21 Vezina finalist Philipp Grubauer for eighth over that period.
Unfortunately, the Dallas Stars are starting Braden Holtby instead of Anton Khudobin - who is second in five-on-five save percentage over the last two years - but this game still has the makings of a low-scoring affair.
Despite the scoreline, New York didn't give up much defensively Wednesday night. The Rangers conceded fewer than two expected goals and allowed only five Grade A chances, even though they ran into penalty trouble. They tried to bottle things up. Playing in the latter half of a back-to-back, I doubt they'll loosen the screws and play fire-wagon hockey.
Even if that is the Rangers' plan, it will be difficult to execute. Dallas is a very stingy defensive team. The Stars conceded fewer high-danger chances than any club but Colorado and Minnesota last season. With a healthier roster and Ryan Suter rounding out their top four, the Stars should be an excellent defensive side once again.
I don't expect a ton of scoring opportunities in this one. If Holtby can hold up his end of the bargain, we should be in good shape.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
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